Preparing for Turkey

We are now down to the wire. Only a short time left but we still have to deal with issues involving car storage, car shipment, auto insurance, driver's license, passports, airline tickets, cat transportation, vet issues, vacating and cleaning the house, temporary lodging before we leave Lancaster and when we arrive in Turkey, finding a cat sitter at Incirlik until housing is ready, possibly refinancing the car, getting new military uniforms, preparing for our three separate pick-ups of property, and getting a Turkish mail address - to name just a few things. We still have a few big social events coming up: (1) dinner with the Haley's, (2) Tom and Dave's July 4th party on the 30th, (3) my father-in-law's birthday on 1 July, and (4) getting to San Diego to see Kori & Ryan's baby and Brent & Jackie's baby. Jackie is probably in labor as I write this. But other than these social events, every minute of the day will be preparing for PCS (permanent change of station).

Also thought I would start a long term experiment. I added a page element on the right side towards the bottom called "People I Would Like to Find or Hear From." As I have mentioned before, one of the frustrating things I have found in moving so often is that I have really lost track of people I intended to keep in touch with my entire life - dating all the way back to childhood. And every time I move it seems like I gain a few more people I have lost touch with. In today's Internet age, there is really no reason to loose touch. So I am going to try to reconnect with people and maintain that contact. But I think it would be interesting to take it even a step further. Could I literally reconnect with "everyone" that has been a significant part of my life? I am going to find out. So I am starting with childhood. I am starting with the seven kids I used to play with the most between the ages of 4-10 when we lived at 1975 Keeven Lane in Florissant, Missouri. And I already have one reconnection! Actually the first one, Mike Morford, was kind of easy as we reconnected 2-3 years ago. This is a real case of "small world." Mike Morford, Todd Davis, and Scott Hudson not only played together but our lived in houses all adjacent to each other (a four corner type thing). Well, when I googled Mike Morford a couple years ago while working at The Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar, I was living in Scripps Ranch in San Diego. We hadn't seen or heard from each other in like 30 years. Ironically, I discovered that Mike's first job out of college was working right in Scripps Ranch about a mile from where I was living. That's a small world. Mike is in northern Cali now but I was fortunate enough to be able to reach him before leaving for Turkey. Mike, I still hope to catch up with you sometime when we return stateside.

So, this blog is still brand new. but I enjoy it and i think it will continue to grow, If you know of any of the people I am searching for, let me know - or let them know. Once I reconnect with these old friendships I will add more names.

Shuttle Landing at Edwards

Karen and I were able to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis land at Edwards Air Force Base yesterday. It was my third time seeing it land and Karen's first. I was glad Karen finally was able to see a landing - especially since we are leaving for Turkey soon. I think it was special to her since her father spent so many years building shuttles in Palmdale. For those in the Antelope Valley, it always seems funny to hear media say, "...the shuttle will leave Edwards to return home..." because for local residents the Antelope Valley is a shuttle's home.

I want to try to show some photos you normally don't see on the news. This landing was closed to the public, which gave us much more opportunity to get a good viewing spot. The best spot was over at the aeroclub - but Karen and I weren't in time to get there before they closed the road off. So we positioned ourselves on a high point overlooking main base. A lot of people always wonder how the shuttle seems to come from the north when it was obviously in orbit from the south. Below is a pic of the landing route onto the Edwards dry lake bed. Notice the shuttle actually loops around much as an approaching plane would. Karen and I were about a mile north-northwest of the runway on the dry lake bed:

Below, a worker test for some sort of interference that could disrupt communications:

Atlantis landing below. The best my camera can do from the distance we were at:

Atlantis down with parachute open:

Great pic from over by the aeroclub:

Everyone getting ready to head back to work or home:

This is the platform the shuttle will be loaded onto so it can be raised up on top of the 747 to fly it back east:

Blogger Video Upload

I'm trying out the new Video Upload feature on Blogger. It seems pretty cool. You simply add it as a page feature and position it where you would like on your page. I have positioned mine down at the bottom for now and labeled it "Grow Your Musical Appreciation." If you click on one of the four video stills, the video will open up at the top of the page. I plan to rotate some of the music I like through this every now and then. The one feature that could be improved is it only does one search for all four videos. You can list multiple search criteria but it will still simply grab the first through fourth videos from that Google search. I would like to be able to post four different search criteria and have it pull four different videos based on individual search criteria - not one search based on multiple search criteria simultaneously - confusing?

I launched this with four different versions of Jimi Hendrix Hear My Train A Coming. Some great stuff here. The video of Jimi playing acoustic 12-string is a unique look into Jimi's acoustic abilities. The last video is nine minutes of Jimi performing and playing on The Dick Cavett show. This includes the part where Cavett brings up Jimi's Woodstock version of The Star Spangled banner as controversial. Jimi replies, "I thought it was beautiful."

23 June 07 edit update: I just realized that this feature seems to change every time it is viewed. It seems to do a video search every single time it is viewed. This means the videos can change without my knowledge. so, for example, even though I mentioned the Dick Cavett clip it may disappear if the number of hits it received drops below the four other videos based on my search guidelines. I wish Google would add a locking feature. That way you could let them search each time as they currently do or lock in the videos you desired.

Time Flies

In the words of OMB: "Time flies when you're having fun."

In the words of Mick Jagger: "Don't let the world pass you by."

Time has been flying lately. It's been fun but Karen and I have to be careful not to blink - seems like everything is coming at us at a lightning pace right now. I could write all night but I am short on time. So here it is in bullet format:

• in April we found out we have Air Force orders for Incirlik Air Base
• it took 45 days for the Air force to completely understand I can take Karen with me
• I was selected for promotion to Master Sergeant in the AF; line number 3973
• as I prepared to outprocess Edwards AFB, I discovered I would need to attend a week-long PME class for Master Sergeant selects and fork out a few hundred bucks; unfortunately, money and time are scare resources right now
• my parents visited us in Lancaster for Father's Day weekend; just left today
• our great friends Ryan and Kori Smyth had their first baby today; Ryan wanted a unique name no one else would have but Kori said no to Santa Smith; welcome to Earth Owen Smith

My wife Karen and I with my mom and dad, Sherry and Jim Dwyer on Father's Day 2007:

Me, brother-in-law Randy Czajkowski, father-in-law Jim Kuhns, and my dad Jim Dwyer on Father's Day 2007:

Below, one of the first pics of Owen Smyth - kind of. At our 2007 Halloween party, Kori didn't know she was pregnant yet - but she actually was in this photo! Kori was a good sport tolerating all of us while she was not drinking. I don't know how she slept throught "2am Living Room Strobe Light Dancing" but she did. Below is my father-in-law as a one-eyed jack after he lost the vision in one eye - that's a dark sense of humor...at least in one eye. And notice that Kori and Ryan came to the party dressed as Patrick and Karen! Kori has Karen's hat on, fake boobs, and an apron that says "friends don't let friends drink white Zen." Ryan has a grey-haired wig, Air Force shirt, and Rolling Stones' pants on. Classic:

First Post

First Post. So why am I blogging? Well, I've always considered myself a writer...a frustrated writer without time. And an amatuer historian. Hopefully, I will find this forces me to take the time to write and I will get some enjoyment out of it as well. Plus, as I prepare to move to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, I expect to have a few comments about the adventures Karen and I encounter without violating any DoD rules. This should be a great way to keep track with friends and family we will be missing. As I get ready for my 18th move in 22 years, I'm finding contact with friends and family gets harder every year. So, please, help me change that. Read, comment, e-mail, enjoy...stay in touch.